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Friday, September 30, 2016
Vol. 76, No. 38
NAMED TO ALL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Jericho parents speak against higher class sizes BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Photo courtesy of the Syosset School District
Four Syosset High School students have been selected to perform at the National Association for Music Education’s All-National Honor Ensembles Conference. From left, Syosset High School Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante congratulates orchestra director Stephanie Merten, students Cameron Zandieh, Ben Rhee, Dylan Eliassof, and Vivian Lin and choral director Kristin Howell, along with Coordinator of Fine and Performing Arts, K-12 Michael Salzman and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers. See page 22 for story.
Joe Lorintz leaving ‘Big shoes to fill’ on Board BY RIKKI N. MASSAND News broke at the Thursday, September 22 Jericho Public Schools’ Board of Education meeting that after a dozen years of dedicated service, one of the most outspoken and visible advocates for students will be stepping down from the board once the local-level November election takes shape. School Board Vice President Joseph
Lorintz has all but locked up his seat as the next Nassau County Supreme Court Justice. The meeting was held one night after both the Nassau County Democratic and Republican parties held their conventions, and both parties have endorsed Lorintz for the County Supreme Court Judge position. With an announcement made by School Board President William Ferro last
Thursday, Lorintz received a humbling standing ovation from the crowd of district administrators, parents and over 25 new Jericho teachers on hand. Ferro, who is also an attorney, reflected on his colleague and congratulated him during the meeting. “As a fellow board member and member of the New York Bar Association, we will miss him here but our See page 21
Stephanie Richman is the mother of twin two-year-olds as well as a son who started first grade at Seaman Elementary School a month ago. She’s concerned with class sizes on the rise in Jericho after a confusing, splitclass decision that the district faced when three sections of students in her son’s grade had to be turned into two as a student left the district in the first week to school. It was a scramble but one that was well-communicated to students. “We were told there were going to three classes a week before school started but then that Monday we learned the child left and it wasn’t the case,” she said. Questions and concerns over class size in the district remain as the second month of the school year starts. At the Thursday, September 22 Board of Education meeting Richman had a chance to hear the school board and administration’s take. Superintendent of Schools Hank Grishman first announced enrollment figures slightly up from one year ago, as 3,028 students are in Jericho Public Schools compared to 2,995 to start 2015-2016. Richman urges the district to reconsider class size guidelines. She and four parents seated next to her last Thursday night nodded in agreement that the number of students in Seaman classes “far exceeds what is appropriate.” Richman says she represents a large contingent of the community that could not attend the September 22 meeting due to work and family obligations. “There are currently 25 students in each of the two first-grade classes and this far exceeds what is appropriate, not just in terms of giving students the individualized attention they need to succeed but also in terms of the physical environment in which they have to learn. The current policy dictates that a maximum of 25 children must be in each class in grades Kindergarten through 3, a number that jumps to 27 for grades 4 and 5. According to the school district this policy has been in place for over 25 years and that time (the early 1990s) was before the Common Core and everyday use of computers, iPads and Smartboards in general education and a time when the number of students receiving speech services and occupational therapy in the resource room was far less. Adding to that there’s increased standardized testing and growing concerns about school security, bullying, food allergies and sensitivities, etc. The class size policy is quite frankly antiquated and not suitable for today’s education system,” Richman told the school board. She told board members she’s the daughter of a retired elementary teacher, and the challenges presented to teachers with a class of 25 students is unbearable. “We have wonderful teachers in Jericho and we want to see them connect and inspire our children to do their very best. We feel that one teacher See page 21
Syosset Chamber hosts Street Fair PAGE 26 Berry Hill students enjoy Fall Festival PAGES 10-11